Criminal Investigation Department yesterday sought permission from a Dhaka court to quiz detained former officer-in-charge of Motijheel Police Station Mohammad Rafiqul Islam at the jail gate in connection with the August 21, 2004 grenade attack cases.

A group of people backed by former Proshika chairman Qazi Faruque Ahmed ousted the anti-Faruque group from the head office of the non-government organisation and took control of the building in the early hours of today.

India will offer to construct the rail link between Akhaura and Agartala, capital of north eastern Indian state of Tripura, when Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee meets visiting Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina here today.

A bill was placed in parliament yesterday for dropping the provision from the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1989 that allows courts to issue arrest warrants against editors, publishers, reporters or writers in defamation cases.

BNP, the main opposition in parliament, has demanded trials of the main players and collaborators of the 1/11 changeover in the country, and claimed that people who do not observe the day as a 'black day' were also involved in 'the conspiracy'.

The government has planned to upgrade all the highways to four-lane in phases with an estimated expenditure of Tk 25,000 crore in efforts to develop communication network across the country, Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain told the House yesterday.

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed yesterday said the three condemned convicts in Bangabandhu assassination case, who sought presidential mercy, should not get any reprieve, but it is the president's prerogative.

Bangladesh will seek Libyan assistance in disciplining the labour recruitment process and ensuring Bangladeshi workers' welfare in the oil-rich North African country, which requires around a million foreign workers by 2014.

Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten hundred to guide India to another comprehensive six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the Idea Cup triangular series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Dozens of people have been killed in Pakistan's largest city including four found Sunday three of them headless in a wave of targeted attacks among rival political groups that some say is aimed at destabilising the country's ruling coalition.

Editorial

WE appreciate the candid manner in which the Minister for Housing has laid bare the nefarious practice of grabbing private and public lands by some real estate owners and land developers, at a meeting with the office bearers of REHAB and BLDA. The issue has become a sore point for both the government as well as the public. He has hit the nail on the head but he should not stop here.

IT has been reported that the Awami League high command wants tough action to be taken against the unruly BCL elements responsible for violence in educational institutions. The prime minister herself has spelt out the party's position on the issue in clear terms. Obviously, the situation has turned critical and there is perhaps no alternative to the pure law and order approach to defuse campus tension, which sometimes degenerates into senseless bloodletting.

WHEN a government learns to criticise its own failures and accept credits with due humility, there is no reason why it should not be able to do better tomorrow than what it has done today. As far as Bangladesh is concerned, one has to say that no such phrase as "self-criticism" exists in the dictionary of the politicians. Self-criticism or admission of failures in public is like inflicting a mortal blow to the political career of a politician, or credibility of a party.

Sports

At the end of a memorable year everybody was looking forward to see how the Tigers transform their form in a new year with the fact that the challenge is much bigger than the year gone by. The number of wins itself shows how successful 2009 was for the Tigers but it was appropriately foretold that it would be a tough challenge for Shakib Al Hasan's men to make everyone believe in the New Year that they are in the right track on terms of not only improvement but also winning matches. And their performance in the first assignment of the New Year in the Idea Cup tri-nation tournament gave a glimpse of how big the challenge is.

While the national team bowed out of the Idea Cup with their fourth defeat in the triangular tournament, the Bangladesh Under-19 team got their pre-World Cup campaign off to the best possible start, winning the first practice match against hosts New Zealand at Lincoln Green Park in Christchurch yesterday.

A new headache added to the woes of the Bangladesh team management after their six-wicket defeat in the last league match against India in the Idea Cup tri-nation tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

Bangladesh Badminton Federation and Bangla-desh Table Tennis Fede-ration have set their sights on silver, something they had never achieved in the history of the South Asian Games that started its journey from Nepal in 1984.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is yet to be match fit as the national selectors on Monday announced a 14-member squad for the two-Test series against India keeping Shakib Al Hasan as captain and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim as his deputy.

Muktijoddha Sangsad tasted their first win in the Bangladesh League when the Reds came from behind to beat Arambagh Krira Sangha 3-2 at Birshreshtha Shaheed Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur yesterday.

Bandutia High School became champions in Manikganj Zone of the Standard Chartered Young Tigers U-16 National Cricket Tournament with an 80-run victory over Manikganj Government Boys' High School at Shahid Miraj-Tapan Stadium on Monday.

Kamran Akmal, Pakistan's embattled wicketkeeper, has ruled out the possibility of playing in the Hobart Test as a batsman alone, and has insisted again that he is confident he will play. Akmal's position in the side has come under intense scrutiny after a dismal second Test in Sydney in which he dropped four catches and failed with the bat as Pakistan handed Australia a remarkable win that sealed the series.

Former Pakistan captain and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) bowling coach Wasim Akram on Sunday said the team is in good shape and would perform well in the third season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning in March.

The Department of Physics emerged champions in Jahangirnagar University's inter-department cricket competition with a hard-fought four-run win over History in the final at the JU central playground yesterday.

The overall exports of merchandises from Bangladesh declined 6.96 percent in the July-November period of the current fiscal year compared with the same period of the previous year, according to the provisional data of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).

AB Bank has moved to strengthen its position in electronic fund transfer outsourcing business, as the bank is on course to buy a further 30 percent stake in Cashlink Bangladesh Limited, a payment system solutions provider.

Saudi tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal said on Monday he is gearing up his Kingdom Holdings group for major new investments including Gulf hotels and a one-kilometre-tall tower in Jeddah on the Red Sea.

Heineken NV said Monday it will buy the beer-making operations of Mexico's Femsa in an all-share deal that values the maker of Dos Equis, Tecate and Sol beers at $5.5 billion (3.8 billion euros), excluding debt.

Speakers at a workshop yesterday called on the government and non-government organisations to put in concerted efforts to ensure 'water security' in the country, saying that access to safe drinking water should be treated as a basic human right.

A new law making it mandatory to use jute goods in packaging various goods, including food grains, sugar, fertiliser and cement, is under process, Textile and Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui told parliament yesterday.

President Zillur Rahman yesterday emphasised increasing research activities in the country's agriculture universities with a view to boosting agricultural production and meeting people's needs and requirements.

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum (BJAF), a platform of the pro-BNP lawyers, at a human chain yesterday demanded exemplary punishment to the persons involved in the 1/11 political changeover in 2007.

The health ministry has decided in principle to decentralise the power for procurement and field-level activities of the next Health, Nutrition and Population Sector Programme (HNPSP), which is due to begin in June 2011.

Students of the Millennium University a press conference yesterday alleged that the university has been running without any vice chancellor (VC), pro-VC, registrar, dean, treasurer and even a full professor since its inception.

National

Ashuganj Power Station Company Limited (APSCL) can not produce power to the capacity while the power station, one of the largest in the country, sees gradual fall in production due to rundown machinery.

Coastguards in a raid on a passenger launch on the Meghna in Chandpur seized 30 maunds of jatka (hilsa fry) early yesterday. Kept in five baskets, the jatka were found in abandoned condition in "MV Bandhan" coming to Dhaka from Bhola via Chandpur. Chandpur Coastguard station commander Lt Khawja Masum led the drive. Khawja Masum said, the value of the seized jatka would be about Tk 2 lakh. The fish would be given away to orphanages, he added.

An under-trial prisoner died in Bogra district jail Saturday noon. Himel, 40, was sent to jail on August 3 last year following arrest in a case filed under Narcotics Control Act. The general diary (GD) filed by Bogra jail authorities with Sadar police station on Saturday said as Himel was admitted to Shahid Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital after he felt chest pain. He died at around 3:00 pm while under treatment. Himel is son of late Nurul Islam of Dargapara village under Panchbibi upazila in Joypurhat district.

Benapole customs authorities on Sunday noon recovered a huge amount of foreign currencies from the bag of an Indian citizen and arrested him on charge of hundi trading. Customs superintendent Abdul Latif said, while searching Rezaul Karim's bag at the check point, the customs officials recovered 1,59,000 Japanese yen, 1,065 US$, 65,000 Indian rupees, 990 Thai baht, 360 Saudi riyals and Bangladesh Tk 16,784. Rezaul Karim is son of Kazi Shamsul Huda of New Pandopati Complex, Kolkata. A divisional case has been filed in this regard.

Police on Sunday afternoon recovered 179 bullets of two types of firearms from Fatamohammadpur village in Ishwardi upazila. Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sheikh Joyen Uddin said, on a tip-off, police went to the spot and recovered two bagful of bullets which were hidden under earth near Al Madina mosque. Of 179 bullets, most of them active, 87 are of rifle and 92 of pistols, the ASP said.

A nine-year-old boy allegedly committed suicide in Janpur Bangpara area of the district town early yesterday. Police said Akil Hasan, son of Helal Uddin, killed himself by hanging from the ceiling of his house at about 2:00am. On information, police recovered the body in the morning and sent it to Sadar hospital morgue for autopsy. The reason behind the suicide could not be known immediately.

Police recovered the body of a young girl from a tobacco field at Bilnalai village in Ghior upazila on Sunday. Victim Shilpi Akter, 18, was a worker at a private clinic at Savar. She hailed from Brahmangaon village of the upazila. Locals said, they noticed the body of the girl at the tobacco field in the morning and informed police. Police rushed to the spot and sent the body that bore injury marks, to Sadar hospital morgue for autopsy.

Pakistan Law Minister Babar Awan has said that Asifa Bhutto Zardari, daughter of President Asif Ali Zardari, may file a writ petition for reopening the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto 'death by hanging' case in the Supreme Court.

US remote-controlled spy drones used over Afghanistan and Iraq are producing so much video intelligence that analysts are finding it more and more difficult to keep up with it, The New York Times reported late Sunday.

North Korea proposed concluding a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War this year, saying yesterday that improved ties with the United States and an end to sanctions are conditions for resuming international negotiations aimed at ridding it of nuclear weapons.

Europe battled Monday to recover from Arctic cold amid warnings over the cost of the weeks long freeze that has caused the cancellation of thousands of flights and train journeys and been blamed for dozens of deaths.

al-Qaeda's North Africa offshoot demanded the release of four of its members in exchange for a French hostage it kidnapped two months ago, in a message posted on militant Websites yesterday that gave a 20 day deadline.

Egyptian archaeologists discovered a new set of tombs belonging to the workers who built the great pyramids, shedding light on how the labourers lived and ate more than 4,000 years ago, the antiquities department said Sunday.

Rome, it is said is the city of dreams. It has attracted artistes, painters, musicians for untold ages. As we walked past the Coliseum we couldn't fail noticing the imposing architecture and grandeur, the legacy of master architects, from all those centuries ago.

Lekhak Parishad a platform of Dinajpur- based writers recently organised a creative literature writing and reading competition. The day long colourful programme ended with a prize distribution function and cultural programme. The competition was organised at the Dinajpur Zila School Auditorium.

He was one of the most successful filmmakers of contemporary Bangladeshi film industry. The 1980s and early '90s were marked with his blockbusters including "Tin Konya", "Bheja Chokh" and "Neetibaan". Filmmaker Shibli Sadik passed away on January 7 at Central Hospital in the city due to several age related ailments. He was 69. Sadik left a son and a daughter.

The 5th Citycell-Channel i Music Awards is being held today. The award giving ceremony will be held at Winter Garden, Dhaka Sheraton Hotel. The announcement was made at a press conference at the Tejgaon office of Channel i, yesterday.

A group art exhibition began from January 8, 2010 at the art gallery Kamranga in Gulshan 2; which will run till January 22, says a press release. The exhibition includes the works of three contemporary artists, namely Mumana I Khan, Shahnaz Sultana and Aowlad Hossain. Professor Syed Azizul Huq and Professor Nisar Hossain of University of Dhaka graced the occasion as chief guest and guest of honour respectively.

To celebrate the New Year, Suchona Shangeet Academy, a leading cultural organisation of the district held a discussion and cultural show with a vow to work towards a good future. The event was held at the Pabna Town Hall premises on Saturday night.

OP-ED

HE is widely acknowledged as a fine human being, and is respected for his articulateness too. He is recognised for his administrative skills, knowledge, and intellect, and for creating space for others, specially his lieutenants. He did not fail us while setting the economic direction in his first budget speech for FY2009-10 and tried his best to guide the nation, keeping in mind the election pledges and the vision of creating a middle-income Bangladesh by 2021.

THOUGH unchecked warming could end global prosperity, money, if matched by action internationally, can reduce emissions radically over the next half century, contain warming and lead to a post-carbon world. Climate change is a natural phenomenon and an effect of rising global temperature leading to changes in cloud cover and precipitation, especially overland, melting of icecaps and glaciers, reduction of snow cover, increases in ocean temperatures due to sea water absorbing heat, and concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

BACK in 1968, Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan was in terrific form. He celebrated the tenth year of his seizure of power through a frenzy of exhibitions as well as exhibitionism. The moment was one of intense fulfillment for the man, for he was the only ruler in the history of Pakistan till that point in that country's history, to have survived in office for a decade. And, appropriately enough, the celebrations that deluged the country were given official sanction as the decade of development.

Science & Life

HYDROPONICS is a modern method of crop production. In this method, crop is grown not on soil, but artificially in a protective environment using mineral nutrient solutions in water. In the 19th century, scientists discovered that plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ion in water. Soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir. When water is added to the soil, it dissolves the mineral nutrients. Those are absorbed by plant roots. Soil is no longer required for plant growth when mineral nutrients are properly introduced into plant's water supply artificially.

Born at Netrokona in September 1916, Dr. Innas Ali was awarded the M.Sc. degree in Physics from the University of Dhaka in 1940 and stood First class First in the Electronics group. His research subject in M.Sc. course was 'Atmospherics at Dacca in mid and high frequency channels'. He carried out research in Ph.D. course on Nuclear Physics, electron design and construction of the 25 MeV electron accelerator, the Micotron and studies in nuclear structure under the supervision of Professor (Sir) H.S.W. Massey, F. R. S., the then Chairman of the Department.

WE are more or less familiar with 'Bel shoot,' a herbal medicine, for curing constipation and other diseases. The green fruit is chopped into thin slices and dried in the sun. The Bel shoot is then soaked overnight in water and its extract is taken as medicine.

INCIDENCE of heart diseases is increasing every year globally at an exponential rate. It is assumed that 15-20 million people in Bangladesh are affected with some form of heart diseases. With the advent of information technology, it has now become possible to bring management and prevention of heart diseases at your fingertip.